Swindon Council cuts – there is a choice

Article after article by David Renard drives home the message that Swindon Borough Council ‘has no choice’. It has to … More

Swindon Council to ’empower’ local people by denying them power to decide on parishes

At the Council meeting yesterday I asked a couple of questions on the Community Governance Review which will consider whether … More

Not so much a ‘vision’, more a nightmare

This is a guest post by a Swindon Council employee who has been given a ‘vision’… A couple of weeks … More

Council Tax payers should decide

This is a letter to the Swindon Advertiser. Here’s your starter for ten points. What is the relationship between the … More

Osborne keeps piling up the debt

The House of Commons Library has just produced a briefing note, “Government borrowing, debt and debt interest: historical statistics and … More

“Cash strapped Councils struggle to cope as Osborne’s austerity cuts bite”

Research by the Financial Times shows the extent to which local authorities are struggling to cope with the cuts in … More

What happened and why?

These are some brief initial observations on the outcome of the General Election.  Understanding exactly what happened in the General … More

Fantasy Island

Fantasy Island George Osborne’s Budget speech reminded me of the old saying, an empty vessel makes the most noise. He … More

Breaking the link between funding and social needs – local government finance

The funding of local government has been notoriously complicated, subject as it has been to constant changes by governments in … More

Failure of ‘austerity’

Interesting to see that David Renard has signed a joint letter to the Observer with other Council leaders from all … More